Jamber, a Super-Casual New Wine Pub, to Softly Open Shortly on Folsom

We first reported on Jamber (858 Folsom between 4th and 5th) back in February, and now, after a significant build-out and all the usual permit headaches, the wine pub from the brother and sister team of Jess and Matt Voss is close to opening. They’ve scheduled the grand opening for September 28, but hopefully will be softly open by late next week or the following week, inspections permitting. Grub Street spoke with Jess Voss today and she tells us that the wine and beer lists are going to be California-only and tap-only, with about half the selections coming from San Francisco proper — represented urban wineries include Sutton Cellars, Fourth Estate, and Cellars 33, and beers will come from Pacific Brewing Laboratories, Almanac, MateVeza, and others. Also, there will be a selection of sodas from Ferry Plaza favorite Soda Craft.

Voss says that she and her brother, both Midwesterners until a few years ago, have been big wine drinkers since college, and they always paired it with comfort food. “We would drink it with anything and everything. Hot dogs, mac and cheese, kid food.” Much like the short-lived Heart in the Mission, they want to strip all the pretense away from wine drinking and be a place where you can “drink wine in your flip-flops.”

With that in mind, the food menu centers on things like pot pies (in steak, chicken, and ratatouille varieties), mashed-potato tater tots with rosemary and parmesan, bacon-wrapped meatloaf, five-cheese mac and cheese, and a pork belly, peanut butter, and bacon Jamber jam sandwich.

Jamber, by the way, is one of Jess’s nicknames. She recently moved here from Seattle to join her brother and open the wine pub. Her brother Matt, who moved to S.F. from Chicago three years ago and who’ll be less a part of the day-to-day operations, is keeping his job doing tech stuff for a hedge fund.

The tap-only concept and local-product focus are just two aspects that make Jamber a green business, and they’re getting green-business certification this week. By October or November, they also will be adding bike racks out front.

In total, the loft-like space is 2,100 square feet and will have 49 seats, including an eight-person bar and ten seats on a semi-enclosed patio facing Folsom Street.

Jamber - 858 Folsom Street between 4th and 5th - 415-273-9192 - Hours will be Sunday and Monday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Tuesday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight; and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Opening on or around September 28